The invention relates to an embossing stamp comprising a base unit in which a retaining device is disposed on one side and an operating device is disposed on a further side, and the operating device is constructed such that it directly or indirectly acts on the retaining device, wherein a pivot of the operating device is disposed in the base unit, and a die plate holder comprising an upper and lower embossing plate retainer which are connected together via a guide strip.
Embossing stamps, also known as plier seals, are known and used for the production of a relief without colour on documents/papers or photographs. The document/paper or photograph is positioned between two die plates. Next, the plier seal is pressed together so that a relief is formed on the document/paper or photograph by the dies disposed in the plier seal. Embossing stamps or plier seals have many uses. They provide documents, certificates, brochures, invitations, business cards etc. or even napkins with an exclusive look. Many people produce their own invitations and create monograms and designs for them. A further aspect is to enhance security against forgeries, and so appropriate seals for businesses, notaries, organizations, architects or engineers can be created, manufactured and used.
A general example is known from DE 20 2011 100 743 U, which comprises a base unit (base), an operating device (push lever) and a die plate holder (embossing unit). The operating device here is pivotally connected to the base via a pivot, wherein the operating device is constructed such that it acts directly in a retaining device disposed in the base. The operating device therein is formed by a lever which is divided into two power arms. To emboss, the item to be embossed (paper) is inserted into the die plate holder which is positioned in the retaining device on the base unit and then the user exerts a downwardly directed force P1 on the first end of the operating device using the operating device. Thus, the distance between the first downwardly exerted force P1 and the pivot constitutes the first power arm. As the operating device pivots downwards, a second force P2 is exerted, and the distance between the second downwardly directed force P2 and the pivot constitutes the second power arm. The moment of the first force P1 and the moment of the second force P2 are identical.
The disadvantage here is that the design/dimensions of the operating device mean that both downwardly directed forces P1 and P2 are of the same magnitude, and thus a very high effort is required in order to produce a relief in a document/paper or photograph.
Furthermore, an embossing stamp is known from DE 20 2011 100 743 U1 which discloses a base unit (base), an operating device (push lever) and a die plate holder (embossing unit). The operating device here is pivotally connected to the base via a pivot, wherein the operating device is constructed such that this now acts indirectly, via a pressure element which is mounted on the operating device and on the base unit, on a retaining device disposed in the base.
The disadvantage of such a solution is that the manufacturing costs are very high since a lot of individual parts have to be assembled together.
BR 8404986 A discloses an embossing stamp which again is formed by a base unit with a retaining device, an operating device in the form of a lever and a die plate holder. The lever here is mounted via a pivot above the retaining device in the base unit. The base unit is formed by two separate lamellar side walls which are connected together via separating elements, spacers, screw connections etc. To this end, appropriate recesses, slots, holes or the like are provided in the lamellar side walls. The operating device, in particular the one-piece lever, is pivotally mounted between the two lamellar side walls about a through shaft. The parts of the embossing stamp are formed here from metal so that it can withstand these comparatively high compressive forces.
The disadvantage in this case is that with a construction of this type, again a very large number of individual parts are required which have to be assembled manually. This means that manufacturing requirements are very high, and so very high manufacturing costs are also unavoidable. A further substantial disadvantage is that the embossing stamp has to be provided with outwardly directed feet so that it can be placed upright since, because the side walls are thin and lamellar, the footprint area is only small. Moreover, the outwardly projecting feet mean that the embossing stamp is very user-unfriendly because when it is held in the hand, the feet get in the way.
Because of the large forces involved in an embossing procedure, screw connections frequently loosen or undo and the structure becomes very wobbly. The user then has to tighten the screw connections by hand to make the embossing stamp functional again. In addition, constructing all the parts from metal means that the embossing stamp is very heavy, making handling of it more difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,646,612 discloses an embossing stamp which has recessed grips disposed on the base unit. This means that the user can hold the plier seal securely in the hand. However, the disadvantage is that it is not possible to stand the plier seal upright on a flat surface. Thus, it is also not possible to carry out what is known as tabletop embossing, where the embossing stamp is placed on a table and the user presses the lever downwards. This embossing procedure is used when very high compressive forces are required, since when this type of embossing procedure is employed, the user can also make use of their body weight. However, in order to be able to carry this out, a stable stand for the plier seal is required.
Furthermore, an embossing stamp is known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,773 A wherein a retaining device for a die plate holder is disposed at an angle to the footprint area. This also discloses that the die plate holder can be inserted into the base unit. The disadvantage here is that fastening of the die plate holder in the retaining device is not optimal. A further disadvantage is that by disposing the die plate carrier in the base unit, it is not secured against slipping out.